Approximately 1 in every 3,500 Americans tears their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in any given year. A torn ACL is a common source of knee pain (although not the only one). Symptoms of an ACL tear include:
At Texas Heart and Vein Multispecialty Group, our board-certified podiatrists diagnose and treat sports injuries in your legs and feet. If you have knee pain, we can determine if you have an ACL tear at one of our offices in Greater Heights, Pearland Market, or elsewhere throughout the Houston, Texas, area.
Do you have an ACL tear and, if so, how do you treat it? Here’s what you need to know.
Your ACL is one of the tissues that stabilizes your knee so that you can walk, jump, run, and dance. Each knee contains two cruciate ligaments, which connect your femur (thigh bone) to your tibia (shin bone). The cruciate ligaments cross over one another, forming an X shape.
The ACL is in the front of that cross. The posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) lies behind the ACL. The ACL prevents your shin bone from sliding out in front of your thigh bone. It also helps stabilize the knee.
If you’ve torn your ACL, you may have stretched it so far that it has small rips in the ligament tissue. That’s called a partial tear. If you have a full ACL tear, the force of your injury was so extreme that the ligament has torn in two.
Women are more likely than men to have any kind of ACL tear. Athletes are more likely than nonathletes to have a full ACL tear.
If you experience the pain, swelling, and limited mobility because of an ACL tear, please call us immediately. Early intervention can help your ACL heal and avoid further tears or complications.
The ACL, like other ligaments, doesn’t have its own blood supply. It’s more challenging to heal an ACL tear without medical intervention than it would be to heal a tendon or muscle tear, because those tissues regularly receive infusions of blood to wash away debris and transport healing and rebuilding materials.
Nevertheless, if you’re active, healthy, and young — and only have a partial tear — you may be able to heal your tear with rest and physical therapy rehabilitation alone. According to a report in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, in a number of cases, ACL tears in healthy adults aged 18-35 need no more than that.
If you’re an athlete, however, you probably need surgery to repair your ACL sufficiently so that you can return to play. You may also need surgical repair if you’re older. In fact, about half of those who heal their own ACLs — no matter what their age — eventually need surgery.
Every year in the US, surgeons perform about 400,000 ACL reconstructions. Although we perform many successful ACL reconstructions, we only recommend surgery when that’s your only option.
Are you in pain from a knee injury? Find out if you have an ACL tear and get the customized treatment you need to feel better. Reach out to our team today by phone or message to see us at the office nearest you.
We service Greater Heights, Pearland Market, League City, Lake Jackson, Manvel, Rosharen, Alvin, Fresno, Missouri City, Arcola, Friendswood, South Houston, Kingwood Market, Humble, New Chaney, Atasciacita, and Northeast Houston, Texas.
